I'm getting close to retirement, and it looks like I'll finally have a little spare time. I'm left handed, and I'm looking for a .375 H&H for a future trip to Africa. I have a dream about hunting Cape Buffalo. Also possibly to Alaska. I looked at the left hand Winchester "Safari Express" in .375 in their catalog, But I have heard a lot of bad comments about winchester hit and miss quality, and lousy customer service. I looked at the new Remingtons, and I wouldn't buy a new one. The last one I bought was a Left hand shport action Varmint in 308, with an extremely long chamber throat that I will either rebarrel, or have the factory barrel set back.
I have two Browning "A Bolts", one in 7mm Rem mag, and the other in 300 Win mag. I'm extremely pleased with both of those.
My question, have any of you'all used a A Bolt on dangerous game?

aint the abolt, current, a pushfeed? which makes it no better than a remington, and worse in some aspects, mag. being the first thing (you can leave it in camp, then you have a single shot)

as for quality, you have picked the wrong one to campare to... browning and winchester are the same company


build a MRC mag action in lefty, or get a win

jeffe

Jim,
Welcome to the forum.

I currently have six LH M-70s - .270Win., two 7mmSTWs, .300WinMag., .375H&H, and .470 Capstick - and they all work just fine. They shoot well, too.

I have eight LH 700s - .223, two .22-250s, .243 Ackley Improved, .25-06, .270Win., 7mmRemMag., .30-06 - and they shoot well, too, but I can see the drop-off in workmanship.

I HAD an A-Bolt that wouldn't shoot to my satisfaction despite extensive load development efforts. It's gone!

I believe you are MUCH better off getting an M-70 in .375H&H and fixing any minor problems than using a Browning A-Bolt on Cape buffalo.

George

If you can afford to hunt dangerous game, you can afford a better-built rifle than the A-Bolt.

AD

George,

What year were your m70's made? What would you look for when purchasing a new safari express? How much does your 375 weigh with scope, ammo, mounts, etc? Thanks.
Sevens

A friend of mine used to hunt elk with an A-bolt in 7mm mag. Problems:

1. The bedding was so bad that it shot 12" groups out of the box. Glass bedding fixed that.

2. One day he got a dab of mud on the bolt while hunting. He tried to rub it off but only ended up rubbing it in. He then worked the bolt to be sure he could still shoot and got the bolt jammed up so that it would not close again. The remedy was to go back to the truck, disassemble the bolt and clean it out with a toothbrush. I have gotten mud on mausers and springfields and they never even blinked.

3. After about 400 rounds (not rapid fire), the throat was so washed out that the rifle opened up to 2 inch groups.

He sold the A-bolt and swears never to own another.

For a leftie, I would suggest several options:

1. Win model 70 classic. Mail it directly to Dennis Olson and have him fix the feeding, bedding, trigger, scope holes, and put on new sights.

2. Buy a Win model 70 classic from D'Arcy Echols.

3. Buy an MRC LH action and have a qualified person (Mr. Olson) build you a custom rifle.

4. Buy a Granite Mtn arms LH action and have a qualified person build you a custom rifle. Mr. Olson, Ryan Breeding and Joe Smithson work with Granite Mtn actions a lot.

Thanks a lot for the advise guys. I just got off the phone with my dealer and ordered the Winchester Safari Express. I hope he can find me one.
Another question. I plan on scoping the rifle with a Leupold VX111 1.75 X 6 X 32, and Leupold Quick release mounts. Does this sound OK?
I appreciate the help. You'all have a lot of experience.
By the way I investigated the "MRC" Actions, but I was concerned that I'd be to old to hunt by the time they came out.
Like I said I have two A Bolts, and am very pleased with them as an out of the box rifle . But Deer are different than something that would be happy to kill you. I just had a 7mm STW beanfield rifle built by Hart with a McMillan stock, I used an old 7mm Bdl for the action.
I guess if I have to I can send the Winchester off to get worked on. It kind of irks me to have to do that to a new rifle. Maybe with the luck of the draw, I'll get a good one.
Thanks again.
Jim

You've made a good choice. For a whole host of reasons that I dare not get into, the Model 70 remains my action of choice. I have a Leupold 1.75-6X on my .375 H&H, and it serves well.

AD

Jim,

I use the Leupold QR mounts on my .375H&H with a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5x-8x. I've been very happy with it over the last seven years and three safaris.

George

George,

This is going to sound rather dumb, but what is a crown and where can I find it on the rifle? Also, how can I identify the one-piece bottom metal? I'm afraid I don't know what that is either. Does someone have a website with the names of each part of the rifle. I really should sit down and learn the names of each internal part of the rifle. One day.

Sevens

Sevens,



Not George, but I hope I can be of assistance.



The "crown" is the radius and/or chamfer at the muzzle of the rifle. It technically defines the transition from the bore to the end face of the barrel's muzzle.



Crown:





"One piece bottom metal" just means that the trigger guard and magazine floor plate are all one piece. I will try and post some pictures.



1-piece bottom metal:





2-piece bottom metal:





Scott

I understand what the bottom metal is as I had an idea, just needed clarification. Does someone have a link to D'Arcy Echols website, I can't find one.
Sevens

The crown in the muzzle end, actually, it's the finish of the muzzle end as the tip goes into the barrel... where the rifling END

jeffe

Sevens, D'Arcy's website isn't quite up and running yet. He can be reached at 435-755-6842 or legend@bridgernet.com

Chuck

Didn't I already say that, and with pictures too!

My my, some people.

Scott